Eni, Halliburton cheer Asia-Pacific’s first integrated closed-loop rig automation milestone

July 15, 2026, by Melisa Cavcic

U.S.-headquartered oilfield services player Halliburton and Italy’s energy giant Eni have celebrated a deepwater automation achievement, with the deployment of a closed-loop drilling system off the coast of Indonesia.

Halliburton, which has confirmed the deployment of LOGIX automation and remote operations on a deepwater exploration well with Eni offshore Indonesia, described the operation as “a series of industry and regional firsts that advance closed loop drilling automation and demonstrate performance at scale in complex offshore environments.”

The U.S. player claims that the global integration of full rig automation with managed pressure drilling (MPD) marked the first deployment of this capability in Asia Pacific. The firm combined rig surface equipment, automated well placement, downhole hydraulics, and MPD controls into a connected, closed-loop automated system.

The LOGIX Orchestration service coordinated drilling and tripping execution in a single workflow that removed the traditional separation between drilling execution and pressure management, with the integrated approach delivering consistent performance and reliable pressure control in wells with narrow operating margins.

Jim Collins, Vice President of Sperry Drilling at Halliburton, commented: “LOGIX Orchestration coordinates drilling decisions in real time for surface, subsurface, and downhole systems.

“When we integrate rig automation with MPD, we close a critical gap and give operators better control, consistency, and performance in complex wells. This deployment proves the model scales in a deepwater environment.”

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The collaboration brought together Eni’s operational expertise and Halliburton’s automation solutions to align drill floor control, subsurface automation, and pressure management within a single system.

The operation is interpreted to have delivered measurable performance improvements, as LOGIX Orchestration coupled with MPD improved efficiency by more than 15% and maintained well control in a narrow operating margin environment.

The U.S. giant underlined: “This milestone builds on momentum from Halliburton’s recent closed loop automation deployment in multiple offshore operations and reflects increasing customer demand for automation that advances from decision support to real time execution.

“The deployment strengthens Halliburton’s position in drilling automation and expands awareness of its differentiated automation capabilities for deepwater developments internationally.”

Halliburton also recently secured a contract to support the development of TotalEnergies’ giant deepwater oil project in Block 58 offshore Suriname.